The mayor of Coldwater, Kansas, has been charged with multiple felony counts of election fraud after state officials said he voted in several elections despite not being a U.S. citizen.
Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach announced Wednesday that his office filed six felony charges against Jose “Joe” Ceballos, who was re-elected mayor on Tuesday night. Court records filed in Comanche County list three counts of voting without being qualified and three counts of election perjury. If convicted, Ceballos could face more than five years in prison.
“In Kansas, it is against the law to vote if you are not a U.S. citizen. We allege that Mr. Ceballos did it multiple times,” Kobach said. “In large part, our system right now is based on trust—trust that when a person signs the registration or pollbooks stating that he’s a qualified elector and a United States citizen, he is telling the truth. In this case, we allege that Mr. Ceballos violated that trust.”
According to court filings, Ceballos, 54, is a citizen of Mexico and a legal permanent resident of the United States, but not a naturalized U.S. citizen. The Kansas Attorney General’s Office said he voted in multiple state and federal elections dating back to 2022.
Kansas Secretary of State Scott Schwab, who worked with Kobach years ago on citizenship verification legislation, said the case highlights the need for stronger voter ID and proof-of-citizenship laws. “During my time as House Elections Chair, then Secretary Kobach and I fought to pass a proof of citizenship requirement. Instead, we’re left relying on individuals’ word when it comes to verifying citizenship,” Schwab said.
Schwab added that state officials used the federal SAVE program, administered by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, to verify Ceballos’ status. The system allows election officials to confirm whether a registered voter is a citizen or legal resident.
Coldwater City Attorney Skip Herd confirmed that Ceballos has been a registered voter since 1990 and applied for U.S. citizenship earlier this year, which raised questions about his eligibility. “He’s been a registered voter since 1990. He applied for citizenship in February, and through that, raised the issue of whether he was a legal citizen,” Herd said.
In a statement, Coldwater City Council President Britt Lenertz said the mayor called a special meeting on Wednesday to address the allegations. “While the recent allegations involving the mayor are understandably concerning, we will allow the proper legal process to take its course before making any further comments,” Lenertz said.
Kansas law generally requires that candidates for local office be eligible voters and residents of their municipality. The city said Ceballos will need to prove his citizenship to remain in office as legal proceedings continue.
